Shoe



AUS- 8, 19639- A E. MovsEslAN 2,168,606

SHOE

Filed Feb. 23, 195s 2 sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 8, 1939. E, MOVSESMN 2,168,606

SHOE

Filed Feb. 2s, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Aug, 8, 1939 SHOE Edgar Movsesian, Bradford, Mass., assigner to Jacob vS. Kamborian, Newton, Mass.

Application February 23, 1938, Serial No. 191,925

5 claims. (Cl. :i6- 12) l the sole leather of the outsole is continuous from from toe to instep of the foot,- but is under all'lo the toe, back through the shank portion of the portions which ,ar'e'subject to flexure when the shoe, to the heel. That part of the sole leather shoe is being worn. While the shank portion of which is at the shank yand heel is more than half shoe may be an lelement integral with the heel, it l of the entire length of sole leather. Its cost, plus also may be initially separate from both outsole l the cost and time of attendant materials and opand heel, to be niade securethereon during'manul5 erations for the shaping of it, the splitting and facture, and by a further feature of the invention fitting of it to the heel, and the ilnal shaping and may if desired be adjustable to be built into any of finishing of the surfaces in this region, makes up several sizes of shoe. There is provision for a substantial part of the total cost of the shoe. centering shank-heel n the upper and insole Also, at the shank, the sole leather has to be supwith predetermined accuracy, 'and for screw -20 plemented by a stiffener, often of metal; and clamping the backportion of the shoe. the rough edges of that stiffener sometimes have It khas been known for many years that a subf-l the evil eiect that with repeated bending of the stantial saving of sole leather would be Vmade if. shoe they cut the adjacent material and wear a it were practicable to use only a half sole; but no hole through the insole. At the heel, a filler has commercially successful shoe construction of that- 25, to -be supplied between the turned-in margins of nature has heretofore been made so far as I am upper and counter. Also trouble sometimes arises aware. The present invention accomplishes this. at the back of the shoe because the workman puts Also it makes a great saving in number and cost the upper and the heel together in incorrect of operations, and of time. l,

alignment. The separate operations involved and In that form in which the shank and the heel 30 customarily practiced in the attaching and finare integral together, this unit may bemade .ofishing of the heel and shank number between a single solid substance, as wood, sculptured to twenty and thirty. In the aggregate, with the desired shape; or may bean artificial compound factory routine of periods of waiting between molded; or even be a metal shaped by stamping successive operations, they involve considerable and drawing processes. 'I'he integral body of heel 35 time. Also, it has been a problem heretofore, and shank thus made may be covered with a skinespecially in womens shoes, to provide a strong of Celluloid or sprayed or otherwise coated or connection of the heel to the upper such that the given a finish with a pyroxylin or other suitable heel can successfully withstand being knocked off product which will adhere with great strength to by a severeL shock such as it occasionally encountthe surface, to match or harmonize with the finish 40 ers in ordinary use. More often, without the heel and color of the remainder of the shoe. In such being actually knocked off, the counter breaks a construction the inner surface of shank and down at the breast line, and the flap at the breast heel, toward the insole, may have a raised broad joint, and the shoe goes out of line, with the top back bone,v and a raised medallion at mid-heelline of the shoe distorted completely. The considerable vertical thickness of the raised 45 'I'he invention provides improvements in all of part makes the shank portion to constitute a sort these respects. It reduces greatly the number o'f of ridge, which affords strength that is needed in .s manufacturing operations. It provides a shank the shank portion of a shoe; and the eminences portion which is of simpler structure; one which at shank and at heel ll the space, where formermay be of lower cost material, inexpensive to ly a filler or metallic shank has been needed, be- 50 l 'I'his invention relates to improvements in' shoes and methods of making shoes.

More especially it relates to the structure of shoe heel, shank and outsole, and their relations tothe shoe upper and insole.

Although it is hereinillustrated as it may be applied in shoes for women, it will be understood that its use is not limited to such.

In the present practice of shoe manufacturing fabricate, and adequately strong; eliminating metal from the shank, if desired. It provides a shank which is separate fro-m the outsole, but in which the stii part of shank has attachment to outsole which is improved over what is available such that it can be secured strongly-to insole, up- 5' per and counter. at 'low'expense;-its single piece 5 providing strength, grace ,and finish, eliminating numerous edges, attachments .and joints which require treatment in shoes madel in accordance with priorpractice. The-outsole extends onlyv tween the edges of the upper and counter turned in over the insole. .When shank-heel is to be attached to the insole and upper, it may be secured to the insole and to the inturned portion of the upper in various ways, as, for example, by any desired cement, or, if the shank-heel be a moulded compound containing an adhesive ingredient, by moistening or reactivating with a solvent therefor, or, if one or both contacting surfaces have been coated with adhesive that has been allowed to dry or set, by moistening such surfaces. The forward end of the shankportion may be skived or shaped as a tongue which extends between the insole and the outsole in a substantial distance in flat contact, thus providing a broad area of adhesive surface joinder, to which may be added other edge surfaces by skiving or dovetailing devices if desired.

In some cases it may be more convenient to make the shank initially separate from the heel, but in either case the whole body of the shank, including the top eminence, will be of stiff strong material. If separate it is to be firmly secured to the heel., and may have in its rear. part a slot through which passes a screw stud rising from the midst of the heel. This slot permits of a centering of the shank in various degrees of forward extension, for different sizes; and permits a mechanical clamping down of the shank to the heel by a nut; and permits of a centering of the shank-heel on the insole and upper with predetermined correctness.

Other details of the invention and of the meth d of performing it will appear from the description which follows taken in connection with the 4 accompanying drawings.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1J of a modifled form wherein the shank is a piece separate from the heel;

Figure 4 is a top plan of Figure 3, but with the insole and upper removed;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a shank which is separate from the heel, in

position for rigid attachment;

Figure 6 is a plan of a fragment of the heel end of an insole;

Figure 7 is an elevation as if on 1-1 of Figure 2, but showing a completed shoe;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure '7, as if on l-B of Figure 2;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a clamping device useful for eilecting the joinder of outsole and shank, and for shaping the outsole;

Figure 10 is a top plan showing a series of clamps like that 4of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a side elevation in medial vertical section through a device for combining a unit outsole and shank-heel with a unit insole and upper, with incidental vmeans for aligning the rear portions of the shoe; and

Figure 12 is a top plan of the device of Figure 11. l l

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate features of the invention as applied in womens shoes, the outsole III, which may be of sole leather, is comparable to what is commonly known as a half sole, in that it extends rearward only slightly ,y pressure appropriately applied.

beyond the ball of the foot, instead of continuing integrally through the shank portion of the shoe as is customary. AIf the shank'v I2 is not turned or shaved of wood integrally with the heel by a heel shaping machine as in Figures 1 and 2, it may be made of any suitable material, such as light weight metal, molded composition; etc.; but it may be a separate element as I2 in Figures 3, 4 and 5.

When made as a separate element, the shank will be later attached to a heel I4 which may be of wood, metal, leather or a molded compound, and the rear portion of shank will be seated firmly over the heel, and may there have a tongue I6, with slot I8 for receiving a projecting stud which may be the upper end of the shaft of a screw 20, whose other end is set firmly in the heel .the length of shank which is to project forward from the heel may be fixed according to the size of shoe.V When the insole and the shank-heel .are put together this head of nut 22 will stand in ahole 2'6 provided for it in the insole, and be flush with, or at least will not project materially above,.the upper face of the insole. The nut 22 has a portion 23 with outer diameter small enough to be set into slot I8, as the nut is tightened to clamp the tongue I6 against the heel. It thus constitutes a positioning and an anchoring device to compel the workmans proper centering of the shank-heel with the shoe, to hold it permanently correct,-Which isespecially useful when these parts go together with cement or other adhesive. ,Theconnection of shank to outsole may conveniently be accomplished at a region where the shank will not touch the ground nor be subject to fiexure in ordinary walking. For this connection of loutsole and shank complementary skived or be'veled edges may be provided on the respective elements. and'also, preferably, a long and strong skived tongue 32 on the shank to be cemented to a corresponding long skive on the outsole, between the outsole and insole. With such an inter-engaging structure, cemented at the mutually engaging surfaces, pressure suitably applied, as byl a clamp 36, shown in Figures 9 and 10, can produce a strong juncture, capable of withstandingiall stresses which it may normally encounter in use; and, being not subject to ilexure or fric- '.tional wear 4when in use the shank may be of material less expensive than sole leather.

After the outsole has been securely attached to the unitary shank and heel, and after the insole has been made a unit with the lasted upper, these two units may be cemented together under In Figures 11i 'and 12 there is portrayed a device for the equal izing of pressure universally over surfaces which are to be joined, on which the upper and insole a's a unit are positioned on the outsole and shankheel as a unit', preparatory to application of pressure downward for effecting the joinder. The centering of the shoe relative to the shank-heel is aided, and guided, by the top part of nut 22 which can engage in hole 26 of the insole. The screw having been properly positioned at a predetermined point in the heel, and the hole having Abeen properly'located, as predetermined, in the rear portion of innersole, these two eliminate the chance of uncertainty of judgment of the workman, and of casual variations. by which the heel is set somewhat askew, in a percentage of cases under the practice prevalent hitherto.

The pressure support of Figures 11 and 12 may comprise a, boxI within which is held a flexible- .walled fluid-pressure cushion-mold Il) having ap- A this constitutes a base against which the unit of insole and upper can be pressed from above in a manner to obtain 'uniform adhesion. Cement or under conditions pointed out'above an activating agent having been appliedto the surfaces which are to be joined, end guides l2 of the device can be set to engage behind-and beside the counter and shank-heel to aid the positioning of the two units in the box for the union by which' they become a shoe. Them-when adequate pressure is applied, the mobility of the surface of the cushion makes it conform to the contours against which it is pressed, and makes the pressure uniform over the adhesive surfaces between the two units; and by maintaining this pressure for a suitable period an effective and durable base juncture may beaccomplished between the outsole and shankheel as one unit and the insole with.inturned edge portions of the upper as the other unit.

A'I'he Adurability of this juncture'is secure because the heel has a shallow saucer-like depression in its top,-which is like a saucer except that its'forward edge is open as a trough, and except'that in the mid-portion of this saucer and trough. the 'ridge I3 or I3 of the shank extends forward, to near the rear edge of the outsole. The edges of the upper sit in this top saucer and trough, with the ridge standingup between them. 'I'his is shown by the shading in Figures 2 and 5. Lateral movement of either frofn this position relative to the other is prev vented, first, by whatever adhesive is used to prevent vertical separation, and,second, by the mechanical interlocking, there being sufficient body of the adhesive substance present to fill all lateral spaces and, 4when dried, toV afford solid lateral support supplementing 'that afforded by the edges of the saucer formation. This saucer and trough with medial ridge formation is illustrated in Figure 2 for the type in which the shank is integral with the heel, and in Figure 5 for the type in which it is a separate piece rigidly joined to the heel. The ridge itself not only serves as a filler of space but by its rather high dimension, which may be approximately an eighth of an inch, as an integral part of .the thick body of the shank, it makes the shank inherently stiff and strong-as contrasted with the customary constructions in which an inserted shank is more or less loosely attached to the insole or to sole leather.

When the adjustable shank is used the heel may be prepared with thin forward extension 44 of its top trough, seen in Figure 3, to be trimmed to av desired length and skived or bevelled to a feather edge which may rest inconspicuously against the under surfaceof shank. The line thus left visible across the shank may be obscured in any suitable way, or may be left for decorative effect. In some cases the extension 4l may be omitted and the breast surface of heel extend straight up to the shank.

'Ihe exposed surfaces of heel and shank may be finished by painting or spraying them with a suitable cellulosic or other coating; or they may be covered with a thin skin of Celluloid, leather or fabric, as indicated in Figure 2. And, in Figure 2 such a skin of Celluloid is shown turned over the upper margins of shank-heel to provide a substantial area of the Celluloid for engagement with the turned in portions of the upper. By treating this Celluloid with a suitable solvent it becomes tacky and can serve effectively for sticking the shank-heel unit to the upper. Figure 2a also shows a centering stud 20' for engaging in a hole in the insole, the hole in this case to be smaller than that of Figure 6, for fitting around stud 2li'.

I claim as my invention:

i. In a shoe consisting of a lasted upper unit and a bottom unit, said bottom unit comprising an outsole, a shank and a heel, said shank and heel forming a rigid element, theshank extending from the top of the heel downwardly and forwardly to the tread and having a skived tongue at the tread end, the outsole having a skived pocket on its upper surface in which the tongue of the shank is received and secured, and the shank having upon its upper surface an integral ridge which extends from above the heel forwardly toward the tread, andthe upper surface of the shank at the sides and heel ,end being inclined downwardly toward said ridge to f'orm a trough in which the inturned margins of the shoe upper are received and'secured, said ridge thus 'serving to stiffen the shank and to position the upper unit.

2. In a shoe consisting of a lasted upper unit v and a bottom unit, said bottom unit comprising an outsole. a shank and a heel, said shank and heel forming a rigid element, the shank extending from the .top of the heel downwardly and forwardly to the tread, and having a skivedftongue at the tread end, the outsole having a skived pocket on itsupper surface in which the tongue of the shank isreceived and secured, the sides of said shank tongue being downwardly and outwardly beveled and the sides of said outsole pocket being downwardly and inwardly beveled, and the shank having upon 'its upper surface an integral ridge which extends from above the heel forwardly toward the tread and the upper surface of the shank at the sides and heel end being inclined A downwardly toward said ridge to form a trough in which the inturned margins of the shoe upper are received and secured, said ridge thus serving to stiften the shank and to position the upper unit.

-3. In a shoe consisting of a lasted upper unit and a bottom unit, said vbottom unit comprising an outsole, a shank and a heel, said shank and heel forming'a rigid element, the shank extending from the top of the heel downwardly and forwardly to the tread and being secured thereatto said outsole, an integral ridge on the upper surface of the shank which extends centrally thereof from above the heel forwardly toward the tread and has a slot therein above the heel, a stud seated in said heel and extending upwardly through said' slot, and said lasted upper unit including an inner sole having a hole therein which registers with said stud whereby the units are properly centered.

4. In a shoe consisting of a lasted upper unit and a bottom unit, said bottom unit comprising an outsole, a shank and a heel, said shank and heel forming a rigid element, the shank extending from the top of the heel downwardly and forwardly to the tread and being secured thereat to said outsole, an integral ridge on the upper surface of the shank which extends centrally thereof from above the heel forwardiy'toward the treadand has a slot therein above the heel,'a stud seated in said heel and extending upwardly through said slot. means engaging said stud to join said shank and heel, and said lasted upper unit including an inner sole having a hole therein which registers with said stud whereby the units are properly centered.

5. In a shoe consisting ot a lasted upper unit from the outsole butrrmly secured thereto and separate from the heel but extending over the top thereof and having a hole at that region, and the heel having a threaded upstanding stud which passes through the hole in the shank, and a nut engaging the stud to clamp the shank against the heel, said lasted upper unit including an inner sole having a hole therein which registers with said stud, said upper unit and said shank being adhesively connected, and said heel being additionally 10 

